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In God We Trust, but others must pay cash?

In God We Trust, but others must pay cash?

The nation’s motto is “In God We Trust,” but do we trust each other?

What does it mean to trust someone? Whatever it means, apparently Americans have less of it, according to the recent AP-GFIC national poll on trust that reports two-thirds of Americans believe people are untrustworthy.

In 1972, the same poll resulted in one-half of Americans saying people were untrustworthy. The poll provides no explanation why people are less trusting now than they were in 1972, but the author, Robert Putnam in his book, “Bowling Alone,” says people are less trusting today because they are more disconnected. He says Americans have secluded themselves more, watching TV, surfing the Internet, Facebooking, texting and avoiding physical social interaction.

Putnam details declining participation rates in associations like the Elks, Rotary, American Legion, PTA, book clubs, church groups and other social organizations. People now live next to each other for years and never know who their neighbors are.

Professor April Clark of Purdue University, an expert in social behavior explains, “When trust is low, the way we react and behave with each other becomes less civil.” Certainly civility along with trust is wanting in America today.

Trust almost always deals with relationships between people. Trust is a measure of belief (faith) in the honesty, fairness and benevolence of another person. As humans, we learned to trust each other in the family and over time it’s extended to others in our expanding social network.

A person who is trustworthy has the characteristics, or behaviors that instill positive expectations in them and the belief that their behavior is predictable and well-intended. Trust creates a sense of community and facilitates people working together for a common good.

High trust levels always have a positive influence on the performance of a person, a group, a community and even a nation. Trust is the key essential element in conflict resolution and problem-solving. Leaders who are perceived as untrustworthy find it difficult to get people to cooperate and reach a consensus. You can see the effects of distrust from Washington D.C., all the way down to our own county commission. An elected leader who says one thing and does another promotes distrust. People, who are perceived to lie, have hidden agendas, tell half-truths, withhold information or seek personal gain, will promote distrust. For example, President George H.W. Bush saying “Read my lips. No more new taxes,” or President Obama telling Americans that, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan.”

Without trust, fear rules and people withdraw. Once trust is lost, it’s difficult to regain. A failure in competence can be forgiven more easily than a failure in honesty or truthfulness. Most of us have all learned to trust people through role models like our parents and our teachers, but as time passes some humans out of malice, power or ignorance violated our trust and we looked at the world in a different light. As a result, we learn quickly that lions eat buffalo, baboons steal food and drug addicts lie to get their fix.

Barbara Smith, author of the book, “Love, Faith and More,” put it this way, “Trust is to human relationships what faith is the gospel. It’s a beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish … .”

We extend trust to people who earn it by living with integrity, motive and open intent in their relationships with others. Steve Covey, the author of “The Seven Basic habits of Effective People” says, “Trustworthy leaders display the particular personal traits of straight talk, respect for others opinions, transparency, have a sense of right or wrong, demonstrate loyalty, do what they say they will do, confront reality, clarify expectations, keep their commitments and in doing so expand the circle of trust to the community.” President Obama put it this way, “If people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists — to protect them and promote their general welfare — all is lost!”

Is all lost? Without question we are facing a crisis of trust in our government leaders. The most recent Rasmussen poll shows that 80 percent of the registered voters say they want to throw out the entire congress and start over.

Sixty percent of Americans say that both Democrats and Republicans are doing a poor job of representing the people’s interest and would consider a third political party. A more recent Gallup poll shows that only 19 percent of Americans trust the federal government to do what’s right for the country.

There is no consensus in Washington on any issue except like those that exempt the members of congress and their staff from legislation like the Affordable Care Act. Without trust, our Republic cannot stand as we know it, and our quest for a “more perfect union” dissolves.

When this happens, we will experience real “profound fundamental change.” For our coming New Year’s resolution, let’s resolve to restore trust to the nation and Maury County by doing as President Reagan advised, “Trust, but verify” that our elected leaders are who they claim to be.

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